IllustrationIN RAINY OR HOT CONDITIONS ABS BRAKING LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF. ALSO WHILE DRIIVING , BRAKES WILL ACTIVATE UNEXPECTEDLY. DLR CANNOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
1992 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 140.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cavalier years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 5 of 134 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 48 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
15 crash reports8 fire reports9 injury reports
What owners actually said
134 reportsENGINE STALLS OUT ABOUT EVERY 8 MONTHS BECAUSE THE BELT TIGHTNER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. BELT TIGHTNER HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES. *AK
WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS- WHY WON'T THEY RECALL AND FIX THESE CARS? NO SAFETY DEFEC TMENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK
ABS BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE ABS LIGHT TO STAY ON WHILE DRIVING. ALSO, UPON BRAKING VEHICLE JOLTS, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH MAY RESULT IN A CRASH. DEALER REPLACED PARTS, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THEY WILL ACT LIKE THEY ARE SLIPPING, THEN PEDAL WILL GO TO THE FLOOR, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY WILL CATCH AND THE CAR JERKS TO A STOP. HAVE TO CHANGE BRAKE PADS VERY FREQUENTLY. ALSO HAVE HAD THE CALIPERS COMPLETLY BREAK OFF CAR! *AK
CONSUMER WAS AT A STOP SIGN WNEN VEHICLE WOULD NOT CHANGE GEARS, ABOUT 2MINUTES AFTERWARD, VEHICLE WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT FIRE OUT. *AK
SEATBELT/SHOULDER HARNESS RETRACT OR DEPLOY FOR DRIVERS SEAT
HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT ON MY CAR. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT SPEED, OR HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN DRIVING. I CALLED THE CHEVROLET SERVICE DEPARTMENT IN MORRIS, ILLINOIS AND WAS TOLD NOT TO BRING IT IN UNTIL THE LIGHTS WON'T STAY ON AT ALL. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH CAVALIERS. I TOOK IT TO A CHEVROLET D…
Read full complaint
HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT ON MY CAR. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT SPEED, OR HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN DRIVING. I CALLED THE CHEVROLET SERVICE DEPARTMENT IN MORRIS, ILLINOIS AND WAS TOLD NOT TO BRING IT IN UNTIL THE LIGHTS WON'T STAY ON AT ALL. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH CAVALIERS. I TOOK IT TO A CHEVROLET DEALER IN CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS, AND THEY SAID THE LIGHTS WORKED FINE FOR THEM. I AM AFRAID THAT SOMEONE IS GOING TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT, POSSIBLY FATAL, IF I CAN'T GET MY CAR FIXED. WHO DO I GO TO? *AK
NO SUMMARY
A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN RELEASED FOR THE FUEL ODOR AND FAILURE OF THE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM. CHEVROLET SAYS THEY WON'T COVER IT, THOUGH IT IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE YEAR. IT IS A FIRE HAZARD AS FUEL IS SPRAYING OUT ONTO A HOT ENGINE. THE COST TO REPAIR IS ESTIMATED AT $300
Official recalls
191V166000 · Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch
Sep 23, 1991
THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH SPRING IS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED OR MISSING, LEADING TO A CONDITION WHERE THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH DOES NOT ENGAGE THE SECONDARY STRIKER.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH IS NOT ENGAGED, AND THEPRIMARY HOOD LATCH WAS ALSO NOT ENGAGED, THE HOOD COULD OPEN UNEXPECTEDLY. IFTHIS OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, THE HOOD MAY CONTACT THE WINDSHIELD,REDUCING THE FORWARD VISION AREA OF THE DRIVER AND A VEHICLE CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: INSPECT HOOD LATCH ASSEMBLIES AND, WHERE NECESSARY, INSTALL A NEW SECONDARY HOOD LATCH SPRING.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.